"And two days have passed by without any more trouble," Florence added.

Mr. Eldridge smiled. "Well, I might as well say you may go. When three girls pounce upon one poor defenseless man, he has to agree to their plans. There's no night shift working tonight, so this'll be a good time. Be ready by eight o'clock."

"All right," the girls chorused in reply.

That afternoon the three, accompanied by Carlitos and Miss Prudence, took a long horseback ride over a beautiful mountain trail.

Miss Prudence refused, however, to go with them on their trip to inspect the mine that night or to let Carlitos go. "Carlitos is tired and sleepy from the long ride, and bed's the best place for him," she said. "I should think you girls would've had enough exercise, too."

By a quarter of eight the girls were ready and waiting. Knowing that the mine was damp and cold, they had put on their sweaters and heaviest oxfords, and Jo Ann and Peggy had prepared themselves for darkness as well, as they had their flashlights.

When Mr. Eldridge and they reached the shaft, he switched on the electricity to work the _malacate_ so they could go down into the mine.

No sooner had the machinery started running than the Mexican night watchman came running to investigate, an alarmed expression on his face. "Ah, it is you!" he exclaimed in a relieved tone on seeing Mr. Eldridge.

Mr. Eldridge smiled. "You are a good watchman, Manuel. I am taking the señoritas down to show them how we mine the ore. Do not tell anyone the señoritas have been in the mine. _Sabe?_"

"_Sí._ I _sabe_," Manuel replied quickly, knowing at once why _El Señor_ had given this order.

"Don't turn off the _malacate_. See that nobody comes near it. Stay close by."

Manuel nodded assent. "I stay here."

"Manuel is the best watchman we've ever had," Mr. Eldridge told the girls. "I can trust him not to go to sleep."

When Jo Ann found herself in the rawhide bag tied at the end of the long cable and being dropped down into the shaft's eerie darkness, she felt a queer sinking sensation at the pit of her stomach, as if she were falling through bottomless space. "It's breath-taking--scary," she thought.

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